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Te Tari Moromoroiti me te Ārai Mate

Research

Microbial community assembly and linkages to greenhouse gas emissions in NZ farms:The role of microorganisms

 

New Zealand Rural landscape 9850

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agriculture accounts for ~48% of greenhouse gas emissions in NZ, with both methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) accounting for most (36.5% and 6% respectively) of these emissions. The lab is interested in how microbiomes contribute to this, and we use agricultural habitats (e.g. soils, plants and ruminants) as model systems to understand, amongst other questions:

i) What controls microbial community assembly and successions

ii) How changes in microbiomes and farm practices affect emissions

iii) How changes in microbiomes and farm practices affect C sequestration

The labs work has demonstrated that unaccounted for microbes and pathways control greenhouse gas emissions. Our work is elucidating the ecological rules controlling community responses to N deposition [in collaboration with NZ based and international partners]. This research is leading the way with an innovative approach using whole community data and ecological theory. The work combines soil biology, microbial ecology, molecular techniques, next generation sequencing and 'omic' approaches in order to provide a holistic approach to this globally relevant problem. This work is in collaboration with both New Zealand and international partners:

NZ:

AgResearch: Cecile de Klein,Tony van der Weerden, Graeme T. Attwood, Nikola Palevich
Lincoln University: Prof Tim Clough
Scion: Steve Wakelin
Landcare Research: Gwen-Aëlle Grelet
University of Otago: Prof Greg Cook 
International:
Norwegian University of Life Science UMB Nitrogen Group: Prof Lars Bakken, Prof Åsa Frostegård, Dr. Peter Dörsch
Teagasc – the Agriculture and Food Development Authority-Ireland: Gary LaniganKarl Richards, Fiona Brennan 
Monash University: Assoc Prof Chris Greening

 

The Munida Microbial Observatory Time-Series (MOTS) project and microbial ecology of the southern oceans 

 

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PhD student Scott Lockwood processing samples from MOTS

PhD student Scott Lockwood processing samples from MOTS

Over the last 7 years we have developed the MOTS (Munida Microbial Observatory Time-Series) project, creating a long-term ecological research site focused on time series analysis of microbial communities within marine water masses in the NZ Subtropical Frontal Zone. Our research site is the only long-term study site in the Southern Ocean and the longest running study across any frontal zone in the world. Our work also explores microbial communities in southern waters including Antarctica and the impact of climate change on them. 

This work is in collaboration with both New Zealand and international partners:

 

NZ: 
NIWA: Kim Currie, Cliff Law
University of Otago:  
Department of Marine Science: Prof Miles Lamare, Evelyn Armstrong, Prof Chris Hepburn
 
International: 
University of Vienna: Assoc Prof Federico Baltar
Monash University: Assoc Prof Chris Greening
University of Exeter: Assoc Prof Ben Temperton